Weed-eradicating machine.



B. P'. & J. SCOTT. WEED EBADIGA'I'ING MACHINE.

APPLIOATIOI IILIBD JULY 13, 1909.

Patentgd Dec. 14,1909.

"a; lllliil'llllllllllll WITNESSES 5 f gvmgoms e12 11mm 00 Arm/m5 8UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN SCOTT AND JOHN ANDREW SCOTT, 0F JASPER, MINNESOTA.

WEED-ERADICA TING MACHINE.

Patented Dec. 14, 1909.

Application flled- July 18, 1909. Serial No. 507,833.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, BENJAMIN F. SCOTT and JOHN A. Soorr, citizens ofthe United States, and both residents of Jasper, in the county ofPipestone and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and ImprovedWVeed- Eradicating Machine, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description.

, Among the principal objects which this invention has in view are: toprovide a machine which will extract from the ground weeds, roots,rubbish and other foreign material which it is found desirable toremove;

' to provide a structure wherein the said roots,

rubbish and similar material are delivered lnto a receptacle by means ofwhich it is carted from the field; to provide a structure WhlCh 1'sresllient, thereby avoiding breakage of the machine parts; and toprovide a machine which is simple and inexpensive in structure andefiicientin operation.

One embodiment of the present invention is disclosed .in' the structureillustrated in the'accompanying drawings, in which like characters ofreference denote correspondin parts in both views, and in which l igure1 is a plan view of an eradicator, constructed in conformity with thisinvention; and Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same.

The particular construction illustrated in the drawin s embodies a frame10 which is provided with suitable bearings19 in which is journaled anaxle 20. The axle 20 is suitably mounted in "the journals 19, and isfixedly attached to one of the wheels 21, running free in the otherwheel. This mounting is intended to provide for the unequal movement ofthe wheels when turn ing corners or when running over uneven ground. Thewheels 21 are provided with.

any suitable form of fellies 23. The frame 10 is yoke-shaped, as shownat Fig. 10f the drawings, and is rigidly secured by means of an angle.plate 12 to a suitable draft tongue 11. Upon the draft tongue 11 ismounted a double tree 13 carrying swingle trees 14, 14. I

It will be not-iced that we do not intend to limit ourselves to anyparticular form of structure to accommodate the draft con-' venience. Inother words, a double or a single team may beemployed.

The axle 20 is suitably extended beyondthe journals 19, 19 and the frameside arms 18, 18, and is suitably provided with sprocket whels 35, 35,the same being fixedly mounted upon the ends of the axle 20. Thisconstruction is provided as a driving mechanism whereby the shaft 33 maybe rotated. The shaft 33 is extended crosswise of the machine, and ismounted in suitable bearings 32, 32 provided in the ends of bracket arms31, 31 which are extended rearward from the machine, being boltedrigidly to the ends of the side arms 18, 18. Upon each end of the shaft33, and in line with the sprockets 35, are fixedly mounted sprockets'36, 36. The sprockets 36 are of smaller diameter than the sprockets 35to produce a much more rapid rotation of the shaft 33 than is given bythe axle 2,0. The sprockets 35, 35 and 36, 36 on both sides of themachine are connected by sprocket chains 37, 37. These chains 37, 37 aretwisted to produce in the 'shaft 33 a rotary direction opposite thatproduced on the axle 20. It is from the shaft 33 that there is suspendedthe arms 40, 40 attached to the box-like receptacle 38. The receptacle38 is suitably mounted upon free running supporting wheels 39,39. Thepurpose of the receptacle 38 is to receive the roots, weeds and rubbishwhen the same are delivered thereto.

The eradicating mechanism comprises a series of forks extended radiallyabout the axle 20 and beyond the" periphery of the wheels 21. Theseforks are loosely mounted upon connecting rods 24, 24 which are extendedlengthwise of the machine and parallel of the axle thereof and betweenthe circular plates 41, 41. The plates 41, 41 are fixedly secured uponthe axle 20 and to the rods 24, 24, and also to the rods 25,25,wh1ch,like the rods, 24, 24, are extended across the machine in parallelarrangement with the axle 20.

. Between each of the plates 41 are mounted a series of forks havinghafts 27, 27 and heads -28, 28 provided with a series of tines. Thehafts 27, 27 are slidably mounted in guide loops 26, 26 set out from andfixedly secured upon the rods 24, 24. In operation, the fork, by its ownweight, throws outward from the axle 20, sliding in the loops 26 untilarrested by the pins 29, 29 with which each of the hafts is provided.When the pin 29 on each :haft rests in engagement with the loop 26 oneach rod, the tines of the head 28 will extend beyond the periphery ofthe wheels 21 at the designed distance. The extension of the tinesregulates the depth of the dig of the fork. This extension of the forkoccurs when the rod24 tion of the wheels 21, compelling the same 41guide the material being handled, and in upon which it is mounted passesto a positionwhere the weight of the fork throws the same to theextended position described. l In the operation of the forks describedthey are extended to the operating position by gravity. When in theextended position they strike upon the ground and rest upon E the sameuntil the rods 25, 25 .in'ipinge upon the tops of the hafts of the saidforks. Gradually, by means of the rods 25, the weight of the machine isimposed upon the fork tines, causing the same to be buried within theground. Also, by reason of the of the wheel, a certain amount ofmovement through the ground is imposed by the difference between thespeed of the periphery of the wheel and the ends of the said tines. Thisaction gives a breaking movement of the tines while extended below thesurface of the ground, thereby gathering to themi selves anystringyroot, quack grass or rubl bish. In the continued rotation ofthe jwheel the rods 25 continue to bear against the haft 27, raising thetines from engagel ment with the ground by the further rotato lift andcarry their load until the is extracted therefrom.

It will be noticed that the connection of the forks with the rods 24being a sliding connection the same is permitted to yield in the eventof striking a substance too hard or tough for the insertion of the saidtines. In such an event instead of the weight of the machine bearingupon the ends of the tines and thereby rendering them liable tobreakage, the fork will recede within the loop 26 set out from the rods24, 24. A I

Connecting the heads 28, 28 and the rods 25, 25 are a series of springs30, 30. These springs have the dual purpose of maintaining a properalinement of the heads between the plates 41, 41, and to assist andpermit the extension of the forks when in position to be extended bygravity. These springs are of any desired construction. In the liftingaction of the forks the plates '41,

same

part maintain the same upon the forks. The plates 41, 41 also materiallystrengthen the construction.

Extended radially from the shaft 33 are a series of arms 34, 34. Thenumber of arms is regulated to suit. Each series is adapted to extendbetween the tines of the heads 28 and adapted to extract whatevermaterial is carried by the said tines. Between each one of adjacentforks a second series of arms 34, 34 are extended, reaching close to theperiphery of the plates 41, 41. The second mentioned series of arms areprovided to raise from engagement any material being 0f the carryingwheels for carried by the adjacent forks. All of said arms, 34 and 34,are fixedly mounted upon the shaft 33. The shaft 33, as abovedescribe(l,'is driven by the chain 37 in the direction opposite thetravel of the wheels 21. As also stated, the shaft 33 is driven at amuch higher rate of rotation than that imparted to the axle 20. Byreason of this construction and arrangement whatever material is carriedby the forks as they pass within the path of the arms 34 and 34, thesearms traveling at a greater rate of speed than the said forks, extractfrom the said forks any material carried thereby. By reason of thedirection imparted to the arms extension of the tines beyond theperiphery 34 the material thus extracted from the forks is carriedbackward and deposited within the receptacle 38.

By reason of the action thus described it will be observed that themachine-has operated to uproot all running weeds, such as'quack grass,stringy root, and also rubbish not desired in the soil, and hasdelivered I the same to the receptacle, whereby it is ranoved from thefield, but not as in the operation of plowing and harrowing, leaving thesameupon the surface of the ground to be exposed to the action of thesun. lVith roots of the character specified, if thus left on the surfaceof the ground, they will take root and thrive.

Suitably secured upon the front bar 16 of the frame 10 is a seat bar 15,upon which is mounted a seat 17.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A weed eradicating machine, comprising a plurality of forks slidablymounted in a rotary frame, a yielding member adapted to extend the saidforks upon the periphery of the carrying wheels for said frame, apinrality of rods fixedly mounted in said frame adapted to impinge uponsaid forks when the same are in contact with the earth to bury the tinesthereof within the saidearth, and rotary means for extracting thematerial carried by the tines of said forks therefrom to deliver thesame away from said forks.

2. A weed eradicating machine, comprising a plurality of forks slidablymounted in a rotaryframe, a yielding member adapted to extend the saidforks upon the periphery said frame, a plurality of rods fixedly mountedin said frame adapted to impinge upon said forks when the same are incontact with the earth to bury the tines thereof within the said earth,rotary means for extracting the material car:

ried by the tines of said forks therefrom to .dellver the same away fromsaid forks, and areceptacle mounted on carrying wheels and connectedwith said machine to receive the material when extracted from the saidforks.

3. A weed eradicating machine, comprising a plurality of forks slidablymounted in a rotary frame, a yielding member ada ted to extend the saidforks upon the perip iery, of the carrying wheels for said frame, aplurality of rods fixedly mounted in said frame adapted to impinge uponsaid forks when the same are in contact with the earth to bury the tinesthereof within the said earth, a shaft transversely mounted on saidmachine and having a plurality of arms adapted to extend between thetines of said forks and a driving connection with the'axle of thecarrying wheels of said frame, and a receptacle mounted on carryingwheels and connected with said machmeto receive the ma- 15 terial fromthe said arms when extracted from the said forks.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses;

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN SCGTT. JOHN ANDREW SCOTT.

\Vitnesses:

G. S. SMILEY, T. H. TAYLOR.

